Abstract Thoughts #75: Progress Luna vs. Gamer Luna

When Luna was first introduced in the show, we hardly knew anything about her that didn't involve Nightmare Moon, so fans were eager to speculate on what she was really like. As Luna had yet to have a solid characterization in canon, interpretations of Luna tended to vary. That is, until Progress, a story about Luna reintegrating into modern society, became famous. At the height of its popularity, it was common for others to characterize Luna the way she was in that story: socially awkward and somewhat intimidated by modern technology (the first chapter has her being scared by and messing up a microwave, for instance). Or at least reference her having an abacus like Progress Luna. Amusingly, when Luna finally reappeared in Luna Eclipsed, her canon personality turned out to bear a number of similarities to that of Progress Luna: namely, being socially awkward and unfamiliar with modern conventions. (Though she was a lot more dark and hammy than Progress Luna was.)

Considering how popular Progress was in its heyday, it's pretty amazing how recently, the most popular interpretation of Luna is almost a complete 180 from Progress Luna in that she's pro at technology, or rather gaming technology. I'm not exactly sure how Gamer Luna started (though I think a pony Tumblr was involved), but it certainly caught on. Nowadays, it's not hard to find pictures of Luna doing something video-game related, or even finding references to her playing games in fanfics/Tumblr blogs. What makes it so weird is that, while Progress Luna being unfamiliar with the modern world made sense considering her thousand-year isolation from Equestria (and even proved to be canon), Gamer Luna has no basis in canon whatsoever. If you ask me, the only reason Gamer Luna became so pervasive was because Luna being into video games made her more relatable to many bronies. Personally, I love video games and I'm fond of Luna, but I don't think putting the two of them together really adds anything to either of them. I just find Progress's version of Luna to be more interesting and full of potential than Gamer Luna. That's just my opinion, though.

Let's hear from you now. Which interpretation of Luna do you prefer and why? Who do you think could beat the other in a fight? Why do you think Progress Luna faded in popularity? Why do you think Gamer Luna is so popular now? Share your thoughts below!

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